All articles by Linda Stewart
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NewsA borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet
A group of diatom species belonging to the Nitzschia genus gave up on photosynthesis and now get their carbon straight from their environment, thanks to a bacterial gene picked up by an ancestor, a new study shows.
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NewsScientists devise comprehensive resource on microbial cell factories for sustainable chemical production
Scientists evaluated the production capabilities of various industrial microbial cell factories using in silico simulations and, based on these findings, identified the most suitable microbial strains for producing specific chemicals as well as optimal metabolic engineering strategies.
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NewsMany TB cases may have gone undetected in prisons in Europe and the Americas during COVID-19
A new study found that reported diagnoses for tuberculosis were consistently lower than expected throughout the pandemic, even though incarceration rates remained largely consistent.
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NewsMpox could become a serious global threat, scientists warn
Mpox has the potential to become a significant global health threat if taken too lightly. Scientists highlight how mpox – traditionally spread from animals to humans – is now showing clear signs of sustained human-to-human transmission.
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NewsDeadly antibiotic-resistant ‘superbug’ bacteria spreading in Malaysian hospital
A virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbug’ that causes severe disease has been found circulating in a Malaysian hospital - posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study reveals.
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NewsMOPEVACLAS vaccine candidate for Lassa fever enters clinical trials
After more than 20 years of research on arenaviruses, researchers have developed an original vaccine platform known as MOPEVAC. A Phase Ia clinical trial is set to begin for the platform’s first vaccine candidate, which targets Lassa fever, a hemorrhagic fever responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide each year.
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NewsResearchers develop machine learning model to predict virus reservoirs
A new artificial intelligence tool could aid in limiting or even prevent pandemics by identifying animal species that may harbor and spread viruses capable of infecting humans.
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NewsNew discovery boosts wheat’s fight against devastating disease
A new study reports a previously unknown molecular event that initiates the immune response to a major wheat disease. The findings provide strategies to engineer wheat that has stronger immunity against infection.
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NewsScientists tackle the rising global challenge of Chagas Disease
A study sheds new light on how the Chagas Disease parasite invades human cells—a crucial step towards developing effective treatments for this neglected tropical disease.
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NewsAI learns to ‘speak’ genetic ‘dialect’ for future SARS-CoV-2 mutation prediction
Researchers have developed a new method to predict mutations in virus protein sequences called Deep Novel Mutation Search (DNMS), a type of artificial intelligence model that uses deep neural networks.
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NewsInter-trophic networks reveal the central role of methanogens in deposited estuarine soils
A new study focused on exploring the distribution patterns, driving factors and microbial interaction patterns of methane-metabolizing microorganisms along the sedimentation gradient in the Yellow River estuary.
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NewsResearchers develop new DNA test for personalized treatment of bacterial vaginosis
Researchers have developed a simple DNA PCR-based lab test — built on a more detailed genetic analysis of the main group of bacterial organisms that cause bacterial vaginosis — to help clinicians prescribe the right medicine for each patient.
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NewsSoil carbon-degrading enzyme activities more sensitive to warming in alpine meadow than swamp meadow
A new study demonstrates that the activities of soil extracellular enzymes are significantly altered in the alpine meadow, but not significantly in the swamp meadow, which coincided with the soil organic carbon content of these grasslands.
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NewsYellow pigment from Streptomyces coelicolor offers potential weapon against breast cancer
A new study aims to explore the effect of a yellow pigment (OR3), from a new isolate of Streptomyces coelicolor JUACT03 on metastatic breast cancer.
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News‘She loves me, she loves me not’: physical forces encouraged evolution of multicellular life, scientists propose
A new study presents a striking example of cooperative organization among cells as a potential force in the evolution of multicellular life. The paper is based on the fluid dynamics of cooperative feeding by Stentor, a relatively giant unicellular organism.
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NewsPartnering diet and intestinal microbes to protect against GI disease
New research suggests that we could get more out of our diets by harnessing intestinal microbes to break down plant compounds collectively known as phenolic glycosides. These compounds pair sugar molecules with a host of small molecules beneficial to human health.
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NewsMicrobiologists must seize the day - and make their mark on policy
Microbiologists need to seize opportunities to engage with policymaking in order to move towards better, more scientifically informed policy that serves the common good, a new paper published in Sustainable Microbiology urges.
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NewsCompelling data point to a single, unknown respiratory virus as cause of Kawasaki disease
New research strongly suggests that Kawasaki disease is caused by a single respiratory virus that is yet to be identified. Findings contradict the theory that many different pathogens or toxins could cause this disease that can lead to serious cardiac complications in young children.
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NewsOnly few disinfectants are capable of inactivating hepatitis A virus
Researchers tested nine different surface disinfectants against Hepatitis A virus. According to their findings, only two aldehyde-based products proved effective at inactivating HAV.
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NewsNew approach could treat anthrax beyond the ‘point of no return’
Once a case of anthrax has progressed beyond the “point of no return” after just a few days, patients are almost certainly doomed. But a new study shows that a cocktail of growth factors reverses would-be lethal cell damage in mice with anthrax.